Quote:
Originally Posted by cel4145 
Not new. People have been pressurizing cars with subs for decades. But as neutro pointed out, it's only recently become more affordable in the home thanks to the ID sub vendors. There's also more interest recently in subs as a result of hip hop, EDM, and rap that produce bass heavy music into the lower frequencies.
But I think it's more than just pressurization that causes this interest in the ID subs. It's also the lower frequency extension and SQ quality of the sub. Think of it in terms of regular speakers. If you have a pair of bookshelves that go down to 60hz before rolling off, you can still hear the bass guitar. But add in a sub or use towers that produce lower frequencies, and some of those bass guitar notes become richer, fuller, on the bottom end because now the entire sound is present as it should be. Same with certain drum notes. With movies, bass effects typically cover a wide frequency range, too. So with good say 20hz extension, your system better reproduces that effect. Then cheaper subs or a sub that doesn't quite have enough output for your room will likely be producing high distortion in the low frequencies, and some of the budget subs even carry over that distortion into upper frequencies because of harmonics. Then consider the benefit of a driver with better transient response in the decay--sharper, clearer bass as a result (a plus for music, too)--and this all adds up to more realistic reproduction of the bass effects. So it's not about making the room "shake." That's what a budget sub does. The train wreck in Super 8 necessarily sounds AND feels different from the Hulk smashing into the ground or the helicopter blades beating air onto the ground in Black Hawk Down. It's an increase in realism, and even in more subtle ways. The DVD version of Master and Commander when the people are walking on deck above? Thanks to the sub working with the rest of my speakers, it sounds completely real in my room, as if I'm in the hold and people are walking around above my head. It's eerie.
So isn't that why people buy better speakers for movie watching? To get more realistic sound? Why not invest in the sub, too?
Not new. People have been pressurizing cars with subs for decades. But as neutro pointed out, it's only recently become more affordable in the home thanks to the ID sub vendors. There's also more interest recently in subs as a result of hip hop, EDM, and rap that produce bass heavy music into the lower frequencies.
But I think it's more than just pressurization that causes this interest in the ID subs. It's also the lower frequency extension and SQ quality of the sub. Think of it in terms of regular speakers. If you have a pair of bookshelves that go down to 60hz before rolling off, you can still hear the bass guitar. But add in a sub or use towers that produce lower frequencies, and some of those bass guitar notes become richer, fuller, on the bottom end because now the entire sound is present as it should be. Same with certain drum notes. With movies, bass effects typically cover a wide frequency range, too. So with good say 20hz extension, your system better reproduces that effect. Then cheaper subs or a sub that doesn't quite have enough output for your room will likely be producing high distortion in the low frequencies, and some of the budget subs even carry over that distortion into upper frequencies because of harmonics. Then consider the benefit of a driver with better transient response in the decay--sharper, clearer bass as a result (a plus for music, too)--and this all adds up to more realistic reproduction of the bass effects. So it's not about making the room "shake." That's what a budget sub does. The train wreck in Super 8 necessarily sounds AND feels different from the Hulk smashing into the ground or the helicopter blades beating air onto the ground in Black Hawk Down. It's an increase in realism, and even in more subtle ways. The DVD version of Master and Commander when the people are walking on deck above? Thanks to the sub working with the rest of my speakers, it sounds completely real in my room, as if I'm in the hold and people are walking around above my head. It's eerie.
So isn't that why people buy better speakers for movie watching? To get more realistic sound? Why not invest in the sub, too?
I knew about the cars and the sound power ( My best friend had 2,000 worth of speaker equipment in his car when we were younger lol) until now it didn't make sense with movies because growing up all I ever knew was a "Movie theater experience" being the best way to enjoy movies. And that was the goal to my home theater to replicate what happens at the theater and there's now deep low sounds coming from there. Thanks to you and other forum members thoughts have now made me want to upgrade my budget sub to something better thanks a lot
. I guess in the future that might happen I'll have to sell the Bic.. Again thanks for the info, I'm relatively new to this hobby with this being my first "real theater" setup. It's not even in a dedicated room.
too funny.
I watched the Fry's website every day waiting for the RC70's to go on sale. Needless to say I picked up two RC70s at my neighborhood Fry's here in Phoenix on Saturday. Pristine condition!! I hope everyone who has them shipped receives them in the same condition! I think they are boxed fairly well, so keep positive thoughts!
